Orange County's judge, who was accused of being fatally shot his wife, attested to shot her accidentally

Jeffrey Ferguson, Superior Richter from Orange County, took the view on Monday when the process of his wife's murders continued. He claimed that the weapon accidentally released in the middle of an argument that they had in August 2023.

The now 74 -year -old Ferguson is charged with prison terms for murder, causing allegations to relieve a weapon and the personal use of a weapon. On Monday, when he testified to the court, he said that it was not intended.

“It was an accident,” said Ferguson.

His lawyer Cameron Talley repeated this during the court proceedings on Monday.

“The evidence will also show that it was an accident,” he said.

He said that the argument of August 3, 2023 was part of a permanent discussion between him and his 65-year-old Mrs. Sheryl, who revolved from a previous marriage about his son Kevin. She was supposedly upset that he continued to support his son, who had not adequate gratitude for the actions and had built up a relationship with her son Phillip.

“What annoyed her was that he did not put his appreciation or gratitude,” said Ferguson. “Sheryl had the hope that Kevin and Phillip would have a stronger family loyalty … But Kevin never sent birthday cards to Phillip or she or me … but he would ask us to send cards to his wife.”

Ferguson said he recently sent $ 2,000 to Kevin, who promised to send a thank you card in return. Ten days later, when no card had appeared in her mailbox, Sheryl expressed her disappointment, he said.

Later that evening, Jeffrey, Sheryl and Phillip went to dinner in a Mexican restaurant where the argument continued. At the same time, Jeffrey had several drinks with dinner on 16 ounces. Beer and a rum and a soda he drank before eating, he told the court.

When asked if he was an alcoholic, Ferguson said: “I don't think I thought it. I drank too much and was in rejection, so I suspected it was.” He also said that he would drink three days a week after work.

During her dispute, Ferguson went to his wife's gesture with his hand, he said. The campaign prompted her to leave the restaurant. He said he had the gesture in the past as one way: “Okay, you win.”

Ferguson said that she was embarrassed by the incident and looked at the table next to her to see if they noticed it. When Phillip asked his father why the two got no divorce, he said, he replied sarcastically: “Because I can't afford it.”

A short time later she returned to the table and asked him to end his drink so that they could go home, he said.

“I spoke to her and said I'm sorry. I didn't want to annoy you and she said the flap,” Ferguson recalled in court and claimed to “defuse” the tension. “I just wanted to make it nice and she said, end your Margarita so that we can go.”

Sheryl drove her home, where they saw all the episodes of “Breaking Bad” in the living room, the judge recalled. He said that he continued to try to go well again, but that she continued to tell him that she did not want to continue the conversation. Ferguson also claimed that she once exhausted him when she told him that he should keep his flap.

Ferguson said, even though he heard his wife say: “Why don't you put this weapon from me” and also recognized that he felt the effects of alcohol that he had consumed that evening.

“I wanted to defuse it, so I said: 'Okay, I'll get rid of it,” he told the court.

At the beginning of the trial, Seton Hunt, deputy district prosecutor, referred to this interaction during his opening speech. He said he had deliberately shot his wife with the gun, which he almost always carried into his ankle holster after she said something in the direction: “Why don't you show a real weapon on me?”

Ferguson claims that at the moments he tried to pull the weapon out of his ankle holster to put it on a coffee table that was overcrowded. He said that at the time he weighed about 285 pounds, which made him try to bend. He tried to put the gun in front of some books and stretch his arm forward, which was difficult because he had lost three of the four tendons in his shoulder.

“I put it behind the books,” he said. “I sent the weapon down. … I couldn't reach the table with my elbow … my arm failed. I got a pain in the gunshot and I snapped reflexively. I didn't want her to have the bottom. My finger must have made the deduction. “

He said that he didn't remember that she said something after being hit by the shots, but her son said that he heard her say: “He shot me.”

Ferguson says that Phillip then tackled him and asked for him to let go of what he did. He says he was concerned that he was not sure what had happened.

“The first thing I told him was:” Don't shoot me, “he said. “I thought he could shoot me because he saw his mother shot. Then I said, calling them in 911.”

Ferguson said he also went outside to call 911, since his years of experience with the law enforcement agencies was taught that the police would like to ensure that the house is safe before entering.

He also wrote an SMS to his employee and bailiff and said: “I just lost it. Just shot my wife. I won't be in custody tomorrow. I'm so sorry.”

Ferguson was custody after the arrival of the police. The video showed the jury shows him in a interrogation after the arrest and sometimes cries. “My son hates me forever,” he can hear.

The defense said that after the incident he felt enormous feelings of guilt and told the detective that he deserved the death penalty. However, they claim that he is not legally guilty.

“He said, 'I didn't want to kill her,'” said Talley to the jury. “This will prove the evidence in this case.”

Ferguson will be expected back to court on Tuesday, where he will continue to provide his certificate. The judge of the Los Angeles district, who has the case to avoid a conflict of interest, said that the jury is excused when Ferguson begins to cry.

Cameras are not allowed to record testimonies.